Trauma
by Nivek01
Summary: As times grow darker, the tenth generation begins growing closer and closer. At the greatest celebration they'd ever had, Chrome and Tsuna discover that they're more similar then they thought - and that they can help each other more then they realized.


**Personal quick note: Ha! I WAS able to finish this before you went off to Taiwan!**

**Quick note: This is a one-shot. More details at the end of the story.**

On a second floor balcony of one of the most expensive restaurants in town, Reborn and the Ninth sat at a small table, sipping their drinks. The table was round, barely the diameter of a manhole cover, with four chairs set around it: the spots on the Ninth's left and right were empty, though there were cups set in front of them, on saucers, with some liquid in them - the two didn't know what their missing guests had ordered. And they weren't really concerned with that, considering they had more important things to discuss.

Reborn broke the silence that had stretched between them since the Ninth had explained his plan to the hitman. Finishing his cup of espresso, he calmly set the mug down, and looked at the Ninth dead in the eye, articulating with great care his thoughts on this plan.

"You're insane."

The Ninth smiled, looking at his tea before resting the cup on its' saucer, which he held in his lap - reaching for the small table would have been awkward, so he had decided just to hold the small plate while it rested on his crossed legs - and chuckled. "I don't think I've ever heard you speak so bluntly in front of me before. Do tell, what makes you so upset with this idea?"

"I'm upset because it's stupid." Reborn said. "If it were any other person, this might - _might_ - work. But with the person you've chosen? Things will be awkward, quiet, and then everything will fall apart. Best case scenario, they don't hit it off, and they both walk away no worse for wear. Worst case..." Reborn collected his thoughts. "This could twist and break what little they had. The trust would never be able to be recovered, not at their age."

"You are assuming I've given any form of instruction to either of them that would cause them to not seem entirely honest." The Ninth said offhandedly, sipping his tea again.

Reborn gaped at him for a moment before shooting out of his chair. "You mean you-" He coughed, blushing for a moment at the octave his voice had reached. "You mean you didn't even give them a _hint? _You're leaving this all up to _chance?_"

"Relax Reborn." The Ninth said, smiling.

"Relax? Relax? How can I relax?" Reborn demanded in increasing frustration.

"Because you know me." The Ninth whispered, soothingly, patting Reborn's fedora. Leon shook with worry, looking down at his master. Reborn just gritted his teeth. "There's too much risk here." he whispered back.

The Ninth sighed. Reaching down by his feet, he picked up the item he knew he'd have to use at some point. Reborn's eyes widened when he saw it. "If you want proof, then look for yourself." The Ninth said in a colder tone, setting the pair of binoculars down in front of the baby and pointing to the large movie theater across from them.

Reborn picked up the binoculars and zoomed in on the movie theater, growling. This was a really bad idea...

* * *

><p>Chrome adjusted in her seat, staring at the ceiling as she tried to get comfortable.<p>

She hadn't planned on spending her weekend at the largest theater in Japan, but when the Ninth calls, you don't say no. It had been a family wide invitation; anyone associated with the tenth generation Vongola had been invited for a three day party orchestrated by the Ninth himself to celebrate the first anniversary of the defeat of Daemon Spade and the reconciliation of the Shimon and the Vongola families.

_One year..._

Chrome sighed. Things had changed only slightly in the past year. Many of the tenth generation were getting ready to enter high school, if they weren't already attending Nami High; herself included. The 'Kokuyo Gang' had been asked to transfer to Namimori about four months after Mukuro-sama got his body back. He'd resisted at first, but for some reason unknown to Chrome, changed his mind. It was the one thing he'd ever been able to completely hide from her, not for a lack of trying to find out on her part.

But other then that, nothing major had happened. After they had finally gotten the Shimon out of prison, the other group had stuck to them like glue, so much that they were practically members of the family now. Byakuran dropped by from time to time to pay a visit to Boss. Squalo had begun stopping by Namimori to challenge Yamamoto to spars; and Mammon had been doing the same thing with her and sometimes Mukuro-sama, only instead of battling for pride, the three of them gambled. And Ken, Chikusa, and MM had finally begun to get along with other members of the Vongola.

All notable events, yet looking back at her time since she'd joined the Vongola, it all felt repetitive. Every event they'd overcome seemed less like a trial that changed the way they thought and made them stronger people, and more like waves of change they dug deeper and deeper to suppress. They were older, yet none the wiser. In fact, there was only one major behavioral change Chrome could think of that had occurred in the past year among all of them.

She'd stopped calling Mukuro with the '-sama' title in public - it had really become less of a title of superiority and more of an endearment at that point anyway - which was disorienting for her at first; but it unsettled the others when she referred to him in such a subordinate way, and he had wanted to see how she could hold up by herself now that she had gotten 'troublingly independent'.

_He's never let me live down trying to save Kozato Enma. Though I do like the way he tries to hide how much he worries; it's cute._

She felt a mental poke at the word 'cute', and turned to her left to see the object of her thoughts staring at her, eyebrow raised.

'_You think I'm cute?'_

She smiled.

'_Only when you're pretending not to worry over us.'_

He scoffed.

'_What is this 'Us'?'_

She shrugged, looking back up to the ceiling. She closed her eye, letting images flash through her mind. Mukuro-sama, shooting all of his flames out of his little owl wings to surround her in a protective shield, saving Kozato Enma in the process...his panicked expression as Boss was beat nearly senseless by Daemon Spade...and a flash of him, standing in front of a younger, timid Boss, facing down the arcobaleno Viper to save her life and become part of Boss's mist guardian.

She heard Mukuro-sama make a noise that was a cross between a sigh and a growl.

'_You are assuming I did those things out of concern for you, Kozato Enma, or your __**dear**__ Boss.'_

She nodded, eye still closed and facing the ceiling.

'_Yes, I am. Perhaps I think that because that was your motive?'_

She heard Mukuro heave a real sigh this time.

'_I will never convince you that I am an evil person, will I?'_

'_No, you won't.'_ she thought simply.

'_What would it take to show you I am not nearly as sincere as you believe I am?' _he questioned._ 'Shall I slaughter a room full of babies? Dance upon the corpses of your close friends? Perhaps I shall simply stand and watch as our enemies topple the Vongola?'_

'_You say 'our enemies' when you mean 'enemies of the Vongola'; are you perhaps believing that they have become one and the same?'_ she pointed out idly.

'_You are reading too much into a phrase, and ignoring the rest of the paragraph.'_ Mukuro-sama waved off, getting back to the point.

Chrome decided. _'I will only judge you as evil, Mukuro-sama, when Boss does the same.'_

'_Oh, no longer relying on your own insight?' _He asked._ 'Well I can tell you that you will be waiting till the universe freezes over, if you want Sawada Tsunayoshi to condemn me.'_

'_So you admit you will never do anything that would alienate Boss?'_ Chrome struck, seizing the point she had been waiting for.

'_...'_

Chrome opened her eye, looking back at the movie screen. That was not the first time they'd had that debate, and it wouldn't be the last. But at least she won this time.

Her happiness quickly turned to boredom as she watched the movie. She hadn't bothered to pay attention to the title as they'd entered. All she knew was that the Ninth had bought every single one of them a ticket to see this movie, in the same theater, at the same time. And the move seemed to be paying off.

Chrome scanned the crowd below her; they had sat up in the top row. Gokudera-san was subtly taking notes whenever the evil scientist spoke. Yamamoto-san was, for the first time that night, not smiling. Lambo-kun was sitting still, his hands by his hips. Sasagawa-san was absently hitting his left thumb against his fingers. Even Hibari-san was paying attention, his eyes darting around the screen.

Thinking about her friends, Chrome decided that Gokudera-san was planning on testing out some of the science in this movie later, Yamamoto-san was interested in the morals behind the supporting characters, Lambo-kun didn't want to distract himself from the movie by doing anything obnoxious, Sasagawa-san was moving his fingers because he wanted to pay attention to the fights without losing concentration so was soothing his A.D.D. by playing with his fingers, and Hibari-san was mesmerized by the organizational skills of the villain.

She didn't even have to analyze him to know what Mukuro-sama was doing. He was taking interesting pieces of the movie and wondering about how he could incorporate them into illusions. Chrome would be doing the same thing, except that she alone seemed to dislike what they were watching. Kyoko and Haru were always captivated by romance; I-pin loved the idea of a weakling growing up to a strong fighter; Kurokawa-san enjoyed anything that seemed realistic and darker; Fuuta-kun loved random facts; and the Shimon as a whole enjoyed stories of rebellion and intrigue.

These things wouldn't be noticeable to most people. But she was an illusionist. Part of being able to fool ones enemy is to pick up on the smallest details and remember the most obvious facts, and to always know your surroundings, lest they be turned back on you. Normally, she'd do this kind of thing for training; now, she was just doing it to pass the time.

...and honestly, how can a good movie NOT have undead skeletons in it? She hadn't even seen a _zombie_ since the movie started over an hour ago, for heaven's sake.

She ran her eyes over the group one more time and noticed a discrepancy. Using illusions to improve her eyesight, Chrome zeroed in on Boss, her eye narrowing in confusion as she processed what she saw. To the normal viewer, he was fine. Whispering quietly to Gokudera-san on his right, patting Lambo - who sat between him and Gokudera-san - on the head, staring at the screen with a small smile on his face. But she knew better. She caught glimpses of the dilated pupils, the faster-then-normal breathing, the widened eyes, bouncing knee, fidgeting hands. Boss was showing the same responses as people who get shocked by a threat and have their adrenaline start pumping.

He was surrounded by friends; the Shimon were in the row below him, the other females in the row above him, and he was on the far right and therefore had an exit path; so whatever was causing him distress couldn't have been a threat from the crowd. There was only one other major stimulus present. Her eye flickered to the movie screen a moment before back to Boss. She couldn't watch both at the same time. Luckily, she didn't have to.

Keeping her eye on Boss, her thoughts drifted back to the man to her left. Accessing Mukuro-sama's thoughts, she found him slightly annoyed.

'_Back to make more false accusations? I'll have you know that Tsunayoshi's judging capabilities are horrible; he gives me entirely too much rope-'_

'_Can you watch the screen for me?'_ she interrupted quickly.

His thoughts turned to honest curiosity. _'...What's with the panic-'_

She quickly rewound her own memory, showing Boss entering the first stages of a panic attack. She felt Mukuro go mentally silent at the images.

'_Please?'_ she asked again, desperation coloring her thoughts.

There was no time wasted by Mukuro-sama before his reply.

'_Keep an eye on him. We don't want him to hyperventilate and risk falling forward. A concussion is not something I want to have to watch be cleaned up.'_ the instructions came more as bulleted items and less like his usual, flowing thoughts.

'_Do you think we should go check if he's alright?'_ she asked as he refocused his thoughts on the movie, analyzing it.

'_No.'_ he answered quickly. _'We should know what part of the movie is causing him distress first; perhaps that will allow us to make sure he calms down, and we can prevent further episodes. Keep an eye on him, and show me if he begins to act up again.'_

'_Thank you.' _Chrome smiled as she refocused on Boss, leaving Mukuro-sama with one last teasing thought. _'You care after all...'_

He mentally grumbled at her as he sent her the images of the movie.

The main character was in a fight with the evil lord's head inquisitor. All of the supporting characters were locked in matches, and too far away to reach the fight. And the main character was losing. He was bleeding, panting, could barely keep his eyes open...and the inquisitor just seemed to get more and more crazy with each wound on his body.

Boss hadn't improved since she'd talked to Mukuro-sama. He had actually gotten worse; paling slightly at the movie. The thought passed in and out of her head that if the lights weren't so low, Yamamoto-san would notice that just three seats to his left, Boss was looking really sick; but he was too engrossed in the movie to feel Boss losing his mind.

The inquisitor grabbed the main character's arm and tried to bend the elbow in the opposite direction, and Boss started in his seat. However, the main character slipped out of his grasp before the move could be completed, and Boss relaxed...slightly.

She felt Mukuro raise a mental eyebrow along with her at Boss's response. _'That was different.' _he commented idly. She nodded. _'Could you highlight any images that involve the main character being wounded?' _ she asked him. _'Just make sure to send me what he's doing during the corresponding scenes.' _he responded. _'Strange that it would be the inflicting of pain that would cause Tsunayoshi to tremble so.'_

'_No; it's more complicated then that.' _Chrome disagreed. _'We're missing something.'_

Just a few seconds after their exchange, the main character got slashed across the stomach. He was able to jump back to avoid being gutted, but he still got a shallow cut. Mukuro-sama sent her an impulse that made her body shake when the scene appeared, and she in turn opened her mind to how Boss was reacting during the scene. And he was...no different. There was no change in his actions after watching the main character be injured.

'_Strange...why didn't he react to this injury like the last one?' _Mukuro-sama pondered.

'_They're different types of injuries; it's possible that he could be affected by one and not the other.'_ Chrome theorized. Mukuro-sama mentally agreed.

'_Yes, but why would the cut not get to him, but the grapple makes him nearly scream?'_ he mused. _'Perhaps they did not affect him because they weren't what the attacker intended; the cut did not gut the defender, and the grapple did not break his el...'_

Chrome's eye snapped from Boss to Mukuro-sama as her male counterpart stared back at her with wide eyes. She didn't need to hear him thinking the conclusion he reached to know what was wrong.

"Broken bones..." they whispered at the same time. Their attention was drawn back to the movie screen, where the main character was yelping in pain. The inquisitor stood above him, applying pressure on the back of one of the main character's legs, which was pinned underneath a wooden beam. The inquisitor was gloating at the moment, but it was obvious what his intent was with the leg.

They hadn't even finished a complete breathing cycle before Chrome was moving. Mukuro-sama had gotten up onto his seat, making way for Chrome to quickly slide past him. They'd been smart enough to choose the two seats farthest left, so Chrome could just run down the aisle to try and reach Boss as quickly as possible.

"_Get to him before the scene ends, and distract him from what's going on!_" Mukuro-sama both said and thought, the command resonating in Chrome's ears and mind. She ran down the steps as quickly as her boots would allow her, thoughts flying through her mind as she moved.

'_Why did we sit so far away from Boss?' _she asked in desperation.

'_We didn't want to put up with MM and Ken's annoying complaining about getting the best seats, and we didn't think anything could go wrong in a place that's practically owned by the Vongola.'_ Mukuro-sama replied grimly. _'Now hurry Chrome, if you don't reach him in time-'_

' _-then Boss is going to watch an event that'll set off his panic attack-' _Chrome continued.

'_-and who knows what will happen? If word gets out to our enemies that the Vongola Decimo reacts this way to broken bones-'_ Mukuro started.

'_-then they'll hold an advantage over him that he would never be able to overcome.'_ Chrome finished.

Mukuro-sama sent her the image of the inquisitor finishing his gloating and beginning to apply pressure to the leg. Chrome sped up, nearly tripping over herself as she moved down the stairs, trying to reach Boss, whose shoulders were now shaking.

'_Chrome, you have less then five seconds-'_

'_I can't get to him fast enough; can anyone else notice him-'_

'_Too engrossed in the movie; no one else has picked up on his actions-'_

'_I have to get there, I have to get there, I have to get there!'_

Chrome was three steps away from Boss. She bumped into the wall on her left, and used it to propel herself toward him.

Everyone took a deep breath as the inquisitor laughed.

Chrome reached her hand out for Boss's shoulder.

Mukuro-sama's eyes widened. _'Chrome, you are OUT OF TIME!'_

"Boss!" Chrome cried. His head turned in her direction as she grabbed his shoulder. They made eye contact, his glazed orbs flickering to life. "Chr-"

_SNAP_

On instinct, both their heads swiveled to the screen just in time to watch the main character soundlessly scream in agony...as his leg was bent out of shape.

In a flash, Boss was out of his seat, running for the door, knocking into Chrome accidentally. She fell back against the wall again, hitting her head. She slid down, cradling her bumped skull as she watched the exit door slam shut.

'_Too late...'_ she thought dejectedly.

'_Maybe not.'_ Mukuro-sama thought back.

Before she could enquire what he meant, their friends were on their feet, surrounding her in worry.

Lambo-kun was by her boots. "Chrome-chan, are you alright?" he asked, touching her leg. She nodded, smiling slightly. Wobbling, she got to her feet.

"What the hell was that?" Gokudera-san demanded, looking between her and the door, his tone rough and angry, but his eyes shocked and slightly fearful. Before she could answer, two other voices beat her to the punch.

"He reacted to the broken bone." Yamamoto-san and Kozato Enma said at the same time. They looked at each other, then Chrome, their gazes going from saddened to resigned. Sighing, Kozato moved away from her, back to his seat in front of Boss's, and nodded to the door. "Go." he said simply, sitting back down.

"What? Why should she go after him?" Gokudera-san spun towards the seated Kozato. Yamamoto-san explained instead. "She knew what was going on with him. We didn't notice, and we were right next to him." He smiled humorlessly. "She's probably got the best chance to deal with whatever happened."

'_And you can identify with him.'_ Mukuro-sama's voice whispered in her head. _'So go. You know what can be done.'_

Nodding to herself, Chrome rubbed the back of her head one last time before exiting the theater, leaving behind a confused Gokudera-san and Lambo-kun, and a saddened Kozato Enma and Yamamoto-san.

* * *

><p>Tsuna stumbled into the food court. Leaning against the nearest wall, his eyes darted around, looking everywhere, taking in the sights as he tried to calm his breathing. He didn't even know this place <em>had<em> a food court until he fled in here. And what a food court it was. Across the entirety of the wall to his left was a long snack bar, with plenty of cashiers stationed to trade overpriced food for the money the teens they mostly serviced were all too ready to hand over. On his right was a decently sized arcade, but Tsuna wasn't in the mood for a dark area overcrowded with people and flashing lights. He'd just been in one of those barely a minute ago, and wasn't ready to relive the experience. The center of the room was dotted with tables of various sizes, but it was the back wall that caught Tsuna's attention, and what he found in rows there. Wandering over to one of the booths, he slid in, placing his head in his hands and closing his eyes.

He'd had a bad feeling about the movie as soon as they had sat down and it had started playing. The Ninth could say what he wanted, but Tsuna wouldn't be fooled; he knew that the 'anniversary' for defeating Spade had been over a week ago. Besides, didn't it bother anyone else that they were going to the supposed 'largest movie theater in Japan'...that he had never heard of until Reborn told him about it? Or that the movie they were watching perfectly catered to everyone's tastes? Or that it was titled _The Shell that Protected the Gem_?

Tsuna sighed. Maybe it was like Enma-kun said when he had shared his doubts with his friend. Maybe he was just reading too much into things.

Slowly, his head slipped out of his hands until it fell onto the table, forehead making a dull _thunk_. Maybe he was reading too much into things. Or maybe his life was just screwed up six ways from sunday. With his luck, it was the latter. He had the experiences to back it up.

Head still down, Tsuna kept his arms up, elbows on the table, hands pointing at each other, his fingers in horizontal lines with his thumbs underneath them. "Enma-kun, I don't think this movie party thing is a good idea." he whispered in a high pitch voice, moving his left hand like a person talking. "It seems like another one of the Vongola's weird gags."

"What makes you say that, Tsuna-kun?" Tsuna switched to a childishly low pitch voice, this time making his right hand talk.

"I've never heard of this movie we're going to see, yet it's supposed to be really popular? And we're going to see it in a huge movie theater that I can't find any mention of before Reborn told us about it?" The left hand incredulously pointed out in a squeaky fashion.

"You're just reading too much into this, Tsuna-kun." The right voice reassured. "You've been seeing clam references everywhere since we got into our final year of middle school. Try to relax. It's all going to be fine."

Both hands falling to the table, Tsuna slowly turned his head till it was resting on his cheek. In his normal voice, he whispered "What could go wrong..."

His eyes slid shut as the images unconsciously, unwontedly, began playing through his mind again.

The main character of the movie had his leg broken at the knee.

_Tsuna flew across the destroyed arena, the illusionary Enma-kun giving away to a psychotic Daemon Spade. He landed on his back, finding it hard to breathe as he registered the crack of a broken rib in his ears._

One of the video games in the arcade made a loud whipping sound.

_His hair shot towards and surrounded Tsuna's neck, making him stiffen in fear; the young boss's neck had never completely healed from Byakuran nearly breaking it, though his sky flames had fixed enough for him not to need a brace. Daemon slowly lifted him off the ground, staring into his eyes, deranged voice ringing in Tsuna's ears as the tendrils around his neck tightened, and the punching began._

Two friends, leaving to go see a movie, simultaneously pushed open their doors.

_Tsuna felt the blood dribble out of his mouth as his last non-broken rib gave way under the inhumanly fast blows, breaking inwards from the force, puncturing his lung. His heart, beating faster then it ever had before because of the fear and pain, only made things worse._

Someone two booths behind him cracked open a can of juice.

_His shoulder dislocated as Daemon's punches quickly became erratic, peppering his body everywhere. "Bones to dust, bones to dust!" echoed in his mind for a reason he didn't want to comprehend. Maybe the pain had finally driven him mad?_

A bag of popcorn fell out of someone's hands, making a thump on the floor.

_His body fell like a torn rag, slipping out of the confines of that god awful prison of hair. Hitting the floor registered in his ears, but he couldn't really feel it; maybe because his spine was in so many different parts? His eyes unfocused as the pain began to seep out of him. Only once did he think this might be a bad thing before everything grew dark around him, sucking him down into an abyss he knew he'd never get out of. He just prayed it would let him feel something besides pain..._

A drink was set down on the table in front of his eyes, startling him, the sight of someone he knew holding his favorite soda kindling something in him.

_Warmth...seeping from his gloves. His hand. His ring. __**Their**__ring. The feelings spread up his arm, down his back, through his body, bringing him away from the brink, sharpening his mind, hardening his resolve. He slowly raised his head, looking Spade dead in the eye. He knew what he had to do._

"Chrome..." Tsuna whispered, taken aback by her sudden appearance.

"Mind if I sit here?" she asked quietly, face impassive. Tsuna didn't know how to answer, mostly because he was still in shock. His super intuition hadn't told him that anyone was approaching, and though he had hoped it wouldn't happen, he had expected one of his friends to come check up on him. But Chrome? They'd had hardly any interaction the past year, outside of school, and the occasional social gathering like this. She hadn't been high up on people he'd expected to come look for him.

Then again, she'd noticed he'd been freaking out. She'd almost been able to pull him out of his panic attack even; he had the control to get away when things got too much, instead of just falling to the floor and hoping his heart didn't give out. And she'd put effort into coming out all this way and appearing stunning while at it; she had traded out her Nami Middle uniform for a nice blue miniskirt, and a black halter top underneath a brown, almost trench-coat like jacket - minus the length and collar - with her her skull belt around her waist, pulling it all together into a _very_ shapely outfit. Her footwear was just her normal boots, but Tsuna thought that she looked good anyway; they were part of her identity. Chrome without boots would be like Christmas without Santa.

Of course, she could make his life a little easier and not be so uncaring about the swell of her chest and the amount of thigh she showed. It was hard not to look...

Clearing his throat and turning away, he glanced down quickly at his own clothes to look at something else. White sweatshirt? Check. Orange shirt underneath? Check. Dark green khakis? Those too. His 27 gloves in his pocket? Everything was all good.

Tsuna stood up awkwardly, motioning to the inside of the booth. "Oh, uh, yeah...sure. Not a problem." he stuttered his way through, scratching the back of his head when she just blinked once and stared at him, amethyst eye unmoving. Looking back at the booth, then at her, Tsuna realized what he could be implying. "Oh. Oh! No, no, no, um, I'm just trying to be gentlemanly, you know? You can sit on the outside if you want too, I guess. It's not like this is a date or I'm trying to hit on you or anything, because that would be weird, because we're not really that close...well, no, we're close, but not, like, _like that_ close. So it would be weird, and people would look at us like we were a couple, and that would be embarrassing - AH! Not because you don't look good, great, you look great, but I don't, and I'm not really in a pleasant mood, and things would be awkward...not that they already aren't..." Tsuna trailed off when Chrome placed a hand on his chest.

"Thanks Boss." she simply said, sliding into the booth and scooting up to the opposite wall, looking back at him, waiting. Gulping his nerves down, Tsuna sat back down, putting his hands in front of him, staring at them instead of her. After a moment, he heard the shuffling of fabric as she leaned across him to grab the soda, sliding it towards his fingers.

"Drink." she said, picking up his right hand and guiding it towards the soda. Tsuna took a moment to marvel at her hand. It was almost unhealthily pale, like the rest of her skin; disproportionately small, though he didn't think it was by enough for anyone besides him to notice; and...incredibly soft. The only callous he could feel was a light one on the top of her palm, probably from her trident. Then the blushing began, and he was glad he at least remembered how to curl his fingers around the large cup.

Large. He blinked. This was the largest size this place had! How much soda did she think he could go through?

"A-are you sure I can have this?" he asked quietly, still not looking at her face. It was rude, he knew, but the situation was embarrassing enough. He didn't need the extra thought that he was just overreacting at everything and the female of the two of them was being the calm, decisive one. He waited as long as he could before looking over at her for a reply.

Brown eyes met purple ones. Or, one. Brown eyes met purple eye and black skull eyepatch. Actually, now that Tsuna really paid attention, he noticed that Chrome had changed up her hairstyle a bit. It was still in its' classic pineapple shape, but now she let her bangs hang to the right side of her face, completely masking everything from the bottom of her eyepatch up to her hairline where her bangs fell. That was some thick hair. So, it was brown eyes met a purple one, and an eyepatch hidden by long purple hair.

Yup, that's what he'd go with, anything to ignore the fact that he had been right, _he_ was the one blushing like the little schoolgirl on her first date, and _Chrome_ was the one waiting with almost a bored expression for him to concentrate on her again.

"C-can I have this?" he asked again, holding up the soda. Her eye didn't even flicker to it before she nodded. He mumbled an incoherent _thanks_ before he began drinking, glad to have a reason to look away from Chrome's face.

He heard the rustling of fabric again as she reached into her jacket, followed by crinkling plastic. Nudging his shoulder, she asked - whispered almost, but then again Chrome always talked in a quiet, breathy way - "Pocky?" she held up the container of the sweet treat for him to see. He quickly weighed the pros and cons of accepting something he considered to be a girly treat versus the aspect of having good food. Deciding that Chrome had already 'topped' on this little meeting anyway, he might as well. Nodding, he smiled appreciatively as he finished up his sip of soda...

Chrome quickly slid out all the sticks, taking them in her hand as one roll and breaking them, her hands making the same motion someone would use to wring a rabbit's neck.

All the soda shot out of Tsuna's nose, spreading all over his half of the table as he coughed, jumping in shock. His wide eyes went from Chrome's hands, where the broken pocky sticks were, to her impassive face. Setting the drink down, he looked at the table, letting his hands slip to his lap, trying to shrink his size as much as possible as he calmed his heart. "That was cruel." he mumbled, more to himself then to her.

If Chrome caught what he said, she didn't show it. "You are afraid of broken bones." she stated simply, almost coldly. Tsuna felt a wry smile tug at his lips. His fists tightened in his lap. If she had been sure enough to break the pocky sticks, then he was positive there was no way he'd be able to deny it.

"Can you believe it?" he whispered instead. "Sixteen year old mafia boss, and I nearly have a heart attack at the sound of cracking eggs. How pathetic is that?"

Chrome said nothing, simply watching him.

"Ever since the fight with Daemon..." Tsuna drifted off. "No...ever since the fight with Byakuran, I've had this, this carnal _fear_ of broken things. Especially body parts. I had nightmares for weeks after we got home from Shimon Island. I had to throw out my copy of Mortal Kombat. I can't go to sporting events or the nurse's office. I can barely sit through biology. Hell, depending on the day I can't even open up cans without having to sit and calm my breathing." His eyes drifted up to Chrome's again, this time his embarrassment of their situation gone, replaced by something that was some weird concoction of despair, indignation, and mostly self-hate. He was sure he looked pathetic right then. His eyes were still watering from the soda coming out of his nose, his face was red from anxiety, and his lips and ears were quivering from leftover adrenaline. "How pathetic is it?" he asked again. "I can't even watch Yamamoto practice baseball without nearly puking every time I hear the crack of the ball against the bat."

Though there was no physical change, Tsuna could feel, almost sense, a shift in Chrome. Putting down the broken pocky sticks, she looked back at him, sadness flickering in her eyes. "It's not pathetic, Boss." she said. "It's human."

He tilted his head to the side, confused.

"P.T.S.D." she explained. "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Boss, you had nearly every bone broken in your body; that's a frightening, painful event. Of course you were going to have some emotional scarring. Anyone would. It was a miracle you could do anything after going through something like that."

Tsuna nodded slowly. His fists tightened till his knuckles were white, his hands so tight it was painful. Then he deflated. Reaching out, he grabbed the soda again. "You're right." he said quietly. "It's normal, nothing wrong with it." his voice sounded hollow, even in his own ears, but he didn't care. He just went back to sipping the drink.

A silence went on between them for a few moments before he heard Chrome sigh. "Boss." she said. He ignored her. "Boss." she tried again. He still ignored her. "Boss, look at me." she tried for a third time, poking his arm. He just sat in place, staring at nothing, letting the acidic liquid flow down his throat. "Boss...please?" she asked quietly, and Tsuna could feel her pulling away slightly, like she'd been hurt. He shut his eyes tight. He was too much of a softy.

Letting his eyes drift over to her, he set the half empty cup down. He felt himself stiffen on impulse when he looked into her eye again. Her cold façade was gone; now she looked lost, hurt, and just a bit frightened.

"Don't do that." she whispered. "Don't...don't just keep things from the world. Don't seal up your negative feelings inside you. Because they eat at you, Boss. They wont stop, you can't stop them. Keep them inside you too long..." she trailed off, suddenly uncomfortable. "Tell me what's wrong." she asked, practically begged.

_Now_ Tsuna felt bad. He wasn't trying to hurt her feelings, It was just... "What if you see me differently?" he asked. She looked back at him, confused. "What if what I tell you changes your opinion about me?" he clarified. "What happens when you stop looking at me as your boss and just some loser who can't take care of himself?"

She still looked confused. "You..." she paused. "I don't think of you as my boss."

"What?" Tsuna exclaimed. "Yes you do!" Of course she did. That's why she followed him, right? He accepted her as his guardian, she accepted him as her boss-

"No." Chrome said, shaking her head. "No, I don't."

Okay...so he'd missed something amid her sudden kiss and Ken and Gokudera yelling so much.

"Then why do you always call me Boss?" he asked. His curiosity had successfully distracted him, for the moment.

She gave him a look that told him she was absolutely dumbfounded. "Um...because you're Boss?" she said.

"What?" Tsuna asked again, after waiting a few moments to see if she would elaborate.

"You're Boss." she said. "You're Boss because...Boss is Boss. It's who you are."

He scratched his head furiously. "Chrome, that doesn't make any sense!" That was like saying a chicken is a chicken because it's a chicken! Where was the explanation, and why was she acting like this was the simplest thing in the world?

"It makes perfect sense." she disagreed. They stared at each other, both having their own looks of confusion and misunderstanding on their face.

"O...kay." Tsuna said slowly. "So, you think I'm a boss because I'm a..." his eyes widened in realization. "Oh." he said. His eyes narrowed. _That's_ what she meant. "_Oh._ I see now. You're one of _those _types." Out of all the reasons, this had been the one he'd expected the least.

Chrome tilted her head to the side. "What type?" she asked. He could see the way her eye lost some of its' shine, and how she wouldn't look at him directly anymore; her emotional barriers were back up. She thought she'd upset him, and was pulling away.

Well, she had no idea. He felt anger lick at the bottom of his throat, making him feel just a bit nauseous.

"You're like Reborn, or Grandpa." Tsuna accused, just a bit of contempt slipping into his voice. "Or even my own father! You think that I'm this perfectly bred candidate for leadership; you think that I'm a natural mafia boss, like Primo; that I'm so good at what I do, it _must_ be in my blood."

Chrome opened her mouth, but Tsuna cut her off. He was on a roll now, and after almost three years of this, he had to berate someone. "Well I'm not! Before you even met me, I was just another stupid loser who was willing to drop out of school just because a girl that I had never even talked to up till then started dating someone else! I'm such a coward that I need to have the lives of my friends threatened before I do anything! I can't even go to sleep at night without images barraging my brain about the things that have happened to me." He ground his teeth, eyes slamming shut. "I'm not who you think I am, Chrome, so you had better just give up and go back to Mukuro. He at least is as great as you think he is."

He breathed heavily, feeling spent after his little outburst. Sliding out of the booth again, he stood, getting out of Chrome's way. The movie had already stressed him, he didn't want to risk an argument with someone he didn't know how to properly apologize to if he screwed up.

When Chrome didn't move, he sighed. "Well?"

"You're wrong, Boss." She said, looking at him again openly, her entire pose relaxed.

"How?" He challenged, feeling tired, embarrassed, and now just a bit frustrated. Chrome just patted the seat next to her. After a moment, he sat back down, holding eye contact. "How am I wrong?" he asked. She better have a good explanation.

"Because you're exactly who I think you are." Chrome said. "Boss, you're not a mafia general; you aren't authoritarian enough. I've never thought of you as a successor to the Vongola, or that leadership is in your blood. I don't call you 'Boss' because I think you have a rank above me; I call you it because you're our guide. You may not have been a leader since birth, but you've grown to become _our_ leader. And you've done it precisely _because_ you're so human. We can connect with you, Boss."

Tsuna blinked, the negative emotions dripping out of him. "You...can connect...with me?" he whispered. Chrome nodded slowly. That was shocking, considering he knew absolutely nothing about her old life, as he heard Mukuro call it once. "How?" he asked.

Now _she_ was the one breaking eye contact and looking at her hands. "Do you know how I lost my organs, Boss?" she asked rhetorically; she'd told no one, but was being polite and giving him the chance to answer. When he said nothing, she continued. "It was in a car accident. I was trying to catch up to a cat, and ran right into the middle of the road. The SUV hit me on my right. I bounced off the curb once, then rolled about six yards, sliding to a stop. I..." she coughed, absently chewing on a broken piece of pocky.

"My organs were mostly damaged by the rolling and sliding on the road. My right arm was crushed, as were my ribs. My spine was forced out of shape from the stress, and my skull fractured inward, destroying my right eyeball. The doctors said that the only way I would be able to survive would be to get an organ transplant, and even then I would need a lot of physical therapy to get moving; I was looking at a wheel chair for most of my life."

Tsuna's jaw dropped open. Losing one's organs could never be a pleasant thing, but he had always assumed it had been disease or something. Not something so..._painful_. "Chrome...that's...that's horrible! How did you get out of that situation?"

Chrome's lips twitched. "Mukuro found and saved me."

Tsuna smiled. _So that's how they met..._ "Well, that's a happy ending. I'm glad he did." Chrome nodded appreciatively before continuing. "Yes, but I still had some underlying problems. For weeks I couldn't go near anything with a motor, and...well, anything that made a breaking sound."

She looked back over at him, letting her words sink in. He blinked a few times. "The same as me?" he asked. She nodded. "Egshells, cans, breaking glass, everything?" he continued. She nodded again.

"Wow..." he breathed. "Did you get over it?" he asked, a bit of hope leaking into his voice. She hadn't freaked out as badly as he had to...wait, she hadn't even reacted to the things he had! She must know how to at least control the urges, right?

He felt immensely better when she nodded for a third time. "How?" He asked, leaning closer, eyes nearly sparkling. This was his chance-

"It's a technique called flooding." she said. "Overexpose yourself to whatever you fear in a positive light, and eventually your fear will go away. You'll learn that not every cracking eggshell is your shoulder dislocating."

The hope faded from Tsuna's eyes. She wanted him to do...what? "That's...that's practically masochism!" He almost shrieked. "I could never do that!"

Chrome shrugged. "It worked for me." she said. "Just watching the cars on the road speed by me. Breaking windows and realizing that I wasn't being hurt. It'll work, Boss."

He held his head in his hands. How he wished he could have her confidence. "But, wouldn't that require huge mental strength?" he asked. Chrome nodded. He moaned. "Then how do you expect me to be able to handle this flooding thing?"

Chrome's eyebrows came together. "It shouldn't be a problem for someone like you, though."

"And why's that?" he asked. "I don't exactly have a strong heart, you know."

Chrome blinked a few times, as if she couldn't really understand the point of him saying that. Why was it that every time Tsuna asked her a question, he got the feeling it was a stupid one?

"But you do have the best potential to grow out of all of us." she responded. "It's like you said; you used to be a loser who clung to a dream. Now look at you." she waved a hand at him in a flaunting manner, though Tsuna wondered if she could ever do something as boisterous as flaunt. "Can you honestly say you're the same person? Would that old you have been able to stop Xanxus, or get up after being knocked down by Byakuran, or believed so strongly in someone trying to hurt your friends?"

Well, she had a point there. He looked at one of his hands, slightly quivering. Could the old him have done all those things?

If he had the choice, _would_ he have?

He froze when Chrome's small hand reached out for his, her fingers sliding in between his thumb and palm, her thumb brushing against the backs of his fingers. His eyes snapped to hers, which were looking at their hands. Oddly enough, he felt no embarrassment in this situation. Maybe it was the feel of her heartbeat in her fingertips, but for a moment, he felt closer to her then ever before.

"You may not be saving the world, and you may not start fighting back until the enemy has already attacked you, but you've helped us all, Boss. More then you know. You've always been there for us, and that's why we always want to be there for you. You brought us together. You keep us grounded. It is you we look to for leadership, but not because the Ninth tells us to, or because it's what the past generations did: It's because we believe in you." Chrome finished.

Sliding towards him till their hips touched, she leaned over, hand tightening in his reassuringly as she kissed his cheek again, in the same place she had when they'd first met. His eye closed on reflex, just like last time as well. Pulling away after a second, she leaned close and whispered in his ear "I call you Boss because I believe in you."

Not pulling away at all, Chrome lifted her other hand, and softly petted Tsuna's cheek. They held eye contact for what felt like an hour, unintentionally breathing in each other's scents. Tsuna, for one, was surprised by her smell. He couldn't describe it as anything other then feminine. It seemed older then he had expected it to be. Smelling her elected the same feelings as when their hands met; it was as unique to her as were her boots.

He felt the need to say something. He didn't really want to ruin the moment, but he suddenly got the urge to speak; he felt it was the right moment to. So he let his lips twitch upward. "Thank you." he said, letting all the warmth he could flow out of his voice.

She smiled as well, saying nothing, squeezing his hand. He liked it when she did that, telling her as much. "You should do that more often."

"Oh?" Chrome asked. "So you want me to kiss you more often?"

Tsuna felt his face heat up. He'd walked right into that one. "No. I was talking about you smiling. You should do that more often. Be open with your emotions."

Chrome's thumb stopped moving across his fingers, and her smile slipped. Her eye got a far off look, like she wasn't really thinking about him anymore.

Tsuna felt his heart quicken. Great, one of his first real moments with this girl, and he'd already said something stupid. He lets an errant thought out, and what happens? She closes up, acts all solitary and alone, just like...

Everything clicked in Tsuna's mind.

_Just like Gokudera-kun when we were training in the future._

He knew what he had to say.

"Chrome?" he called softly, pulling her out of her trance. She blinked a bit, looking around quickly before snapping back to him. "Y-yes? Don't worry Boss, I'm fine; nothing for you to worry about. I'm not keeping my emotions bottled up inside-"

"Chrome, don't do it for yourself." Tsuna interrupted. "Do it for everyone else. When I-pin gets a ninety on her test, smile and hug her. When Yamamoto tells a joke, laugh. When Hibari-san get's too out of line...run like the rest of us." he smiled a bit. Maybe that hadn't been the best example, but whatever, it was the thought that counted.

"Doing these things isn't just about releasing your emotions Chrome, it also tells us that we're making you happy. It makes I-pin feel proud and tells Yamamoto what humors you. If you don't show outward changes around the group, they wont know that you're enjoying yourself. You do enjoy being around them, right?" he asked. She nodded slowly. "They grew on you?" She nodded again.

He smiled. "Yeah, they grew on me too. That's why it's so important to show them that you like being around them; because they're a bunch of softies. They'll feel hurt, and not spend time with you because _they_ like you, and they want _you_ to be happy, and they'll think that you'll be happier without them."

Chrome bit her bottom lip. "But..." she trailed off. Tsuna empathized with her. She wasn't good with the emotional parts of being around them all the time. Though she'd die for any of them, she didn't quite seem to know how to express it. Or rather, she was afraid to express it.

He had to change that.

"Chrome," he said in a slightly sterner voice, "they're not going to take advantage of your emotions."

Chrome's eye widened, and she gasped softly. They held eye contact like that, her shocked, him supportive. When she regained control of herself enough to shut her mouth, she began slowly shaking her head.

He, in response, nodded. "Yes Chrome. They'll look after you, I promise. I'll...look after you. That's what friends are for, right?" swallowing the bit of bile that came with the next phrase, he smiled as genuinely as he could. "That's why we're family."

He knew Chrome could see right through him, to the pain saying that caused him. However, Tsuna thought that probably made the meaning behind it all the more real for her. She took a deep breath, nodding. "I'll try." she whispered.

He winked. "Good." Breathing, he let himself fade into the thin scent clinging to her bod...

Tsuna realized that the distance between them had never widened, and they were _still_ practically nose to nose.

Straightening up, He scooted away from her a bit, unwinding their hands and clearing his throat. "Right, well, thanks for all your help Chrome." he hurriedly said, finishing off the large soda in front of him. How had he gone through that much liquid? Then, looking at the table, and how much had come out of his nose, he thought that maybe he hadn't been able to ingest as much as he thought.

Not really thinking about what he'd said, he asked "So, are you just shy, or are you afraid of sharing?" He heard her suck in a deep, calming breath, and mentally face-palmed. _Dame-Tsuna, indeed..._

"It's not a huge fear," she quietly explained, "It's just...my mother-"

Tsuna put a finger to her lips. "It's okay." he said. Shrugging, he said "I don't have to know the details."

Taking her appreciative smile as a signal that particular topic was done, he stood. "I have a better idea." Holding out a hand, he rose an eyebrow in invitation. Chrome took his hand, allowing him to help her out of the booth. This time, when he tried to let go, she held on to his fingers, shaking her head a bit. "What's your idea?" she asked.

"Flooding." he stated. "I'm not interested in going back to the movie. You?" She shook her head, nose crinkling slightly. He'd never seen her do that before. It looked...comedic, on someone with such a small nose. "Well, I really don't want to just sit around here until it ends, so I figured we could, ah, head over to a nearby shopping mall...and, well, shop..." He drifted off, waiting to see her reaction. "Not that it would be a date or anything, but spending more time together could help you open up more." he quickly tagged on.

"Why are you so concerned about dating?" she asked, giving him that look like he was being unnecessarily careful.

"Why aren't you more concerned about it?" he asked back. "It's kind of a big deal for people our age."

"Normal people." Chrome clarified.

"I am normal!" Tsuna exclaimed. Of course he was normal; weird just came to him.

"Right." she said, nodding. Tsuna gave her a disbelieving look. "I am!" he said again.

"And I was agreeing with you." Chrome said.

"No, you were being sarcastic." he accused.

"Of course I'm being sarcastic." Chrome delivered in a complete monotone, staring dead into his eyes.

"Wait..." Tsuna trailed off, confused. "So, you _were_ being sarcastic earlier? Or, are you being sarcastic now?" After a few moments, he threw his other hand up into the air in defeat. "It doesn't matter!" he decided. "Let's just go get you new boots."

"What's wrong with my boots?" Chrome asked reproachfully, sticking a foot out in front of her as they began to walk, staring forlornly at the thigh high, skinny black sheath around her lower leg.

"Nothing; but don't you think you could use more then one pair?" Tsuna asked.

"I do have more then one pair though; they all just look the same." Chrome explained.

"Then you need more variety." Tsuna waved off. "Come on, let's go get you something before the others come find us in a bad spot. Lambo would never let me live this down..."

They walked out of the food court, and as the door banged up against the wall, Tsuna could feel Chrome squeeze his hand comfortingly when he stiffened. Oddly enough, it helped him feel better about everything. Although he was going to have to talk with her about the importance of _not touching so often_.

As they got ready to leave the theater, Tsuna never saw the smile or blush that Chrome sported all the way out.

* * *

><p>Reborn watched, mouth agape, as Tsuna and Chrome exited the theater, walking next door to the shopping mall. He followed them diligently, becoming increasingly shocked with each step they took.<p>

Because of his vantage point, he'd been able to see their actions when they were in the food court; there was a series of windows on the second story that allowed light in. And even in the low light of dusk, he'd been able to make out Tsuna's tense body, and Chrome's lithe figure with the help of the indoor lights. He'd seen them stand up from and get in the booth multiple times, he'd seen Tsuna shoot soda out of his nose, and he'd seen Chrome draw something out of that coat of hers. But from their actions, Reborn was sure that things were going as he had thought they'd would. They were just going to get angry at each other, and Tsuna would end up worse. Instead, they got as close together as they physically could, Chrome was walking around with a small smile plastered on, Tsuna was strutting, and...

_We're they STILL holding hands?_

Slowly lowering the binoculars, he shook his head. Looking back at the Ninth, he blinked in confusion a few times. "How did you know?" he asked.

The Ninth shrugged. "They're Family. As a boss, Tsunayoshi-kun can connect with all of his friends. That doesn't mean that the bond is one sided. Looking at her history, I figured she would be the one to help him if his trauma acted up in public."

"But why now?" Reborn pressed. "I could have easily done any number of things to help Tsuna over his trauma. Why did we go with such a long, over the top, indirect plan? He's been suffering with this for a year!"

The Ninth smiled sadly. "The decision was not made by me." he said.

Reborn leaned back in shock. "Then who did?"

"...Us."

Suddenly, the two seats on either side of Reborn were filled. Picking up their cups, the two men sipped for a moment before they began talking.

"I still think you waited too long." Cozzato said, downing his cup in one gulp, setting it back down, and running a gauntlet-covered hand through his hair. "Society practically considers them adults already; and this is such a small push in the right direction, it will still take years until they're ready."

"No, now was the perfect time." Giotto disagreed, eyes closed, eyelids glowing slightly from the light they held back. "If anything, we did this too early. Because of their age, there are many legal issues in todays world that will hinder them. And, they're not completely developed yet. They still need time, friend. Time to set up their own morals and guides, and time to grow mature enough to handle...well, anything."

"But they would make each other grow faster if we had just started earlier." Cozzato pushed. "These are not weak lemmings Giotto. These are our descendants. If I were a more religious man, I'd agree with Knuckle that these are our reincarnations. They need to be at optimal strength, as fast as possible, and there's no better way to achieve that then to let them push each other."

Reborn looked between the two spirits quickly. "What's going on?" he asked. Standing out of his seat, he demanded "What are you doing to them?"

The three men turned their eyes to Reborn. Cozzato, smirking, was the first to speak. "Worried about your friends, little arcobaleno?"

Not giving Reborn a chance to speak, The Ninth cut in. "It is true that you have given us startling little to work with. I think we deserve an explanation, don't you, Primo?"

Giotto, finishing his tea, nodded. "Very well." Opening his eyes, he took a few moments to collect his thoughts. "A great change is coming to the world. And Decimo and his allies will play a great role in fighting the catastrophe that will come with the change."

"What?" Reborn asked. "Are you saying...the world is going to end? Is there going to be a great war? Famine? What's-"

"Hush arcobaleno." Giotto lightly chastised. "I will tell you all I know." When Reborn looked compliant, he continued. "I do not know what it shall be. It changes every day, especially with every action I take to prevent it. The world is ripe for a turn, and every time I try to grasp it around the neck to strangle it to save Decimo from the pain, it wiggles out of my grasp in a completely new form."

Lightly smiling, he added on "However, looking at what Decmio will be doing when all this occurs - who he will become - I'm starting to believe that he will actually relish the events. He seems to be in his element."

"Which is why we have to prepare them." Cozzato picked up. "We need to make sure that they're ready. Now, largely they'll grow on their own, but we needed to get the ball started. Since _someone_-" he looked at the Ninth accusingly for a moment "-decided it would be best to keep his successor out of the loop for so long, that the next generation grew dependent on them for guidance!"

"We cannot change the past Cozzato." Giotto soothed. "We may only hope to safeguard the future."

Cozzato rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway." he looked back at Reborn. "Where they were at before was okay, but part of getting through the coming storm is that they work as a group. A team. A true Family. And not just for work or professionally or whatever; they need to consider themselves a real family. They need to grow closer if they hope to make the discoveries they'll have to before the timer goes off." Leaning back in his seat, he closed his eyes, muttering "They all will..."

"And that is why we did what we did today." Giotto finished, standing. "Times are about to change, and the new generation must be ready for it. As Cozzato said, they are more then able to handle it, so we will leave them to their own devices from now on. Let their bonds grow thick, their resolution burn bright, and their minds synch. Mark my words arcobaleno: Where others will be running in panic with their heads bowed, Decimo and his allies will be walking into danger with smirks on their faces."

Reborn stood still, processing the information. When he looked back up at Giotto, his eyes were filled with rage. "You're just going to let them try and swim through armageddon on their own?" he demanded quietly.

"Hey, baby, like we said; they can handle it." Cozzato said offhandedly, still looking away with his eyes closed.

"So that means that they should, just because they can?" Reborn snapped at the first Shimon boss. Cozzato slowly let his head loll till he was staring Reborn in the eye. When his eyelids flickered up, he had his own rage to pierce the hitman with. "Watch you're tone, bab-"

"Cozzato is making it seem closer then it is." Giotto interrupted, shooting his friend a look. "The actual events wont begin for at least another decade, and we wont see the buildup to it for another few years. They have time."

"So you'll tell them nothing? No warning, no chance for preparing them ourselves, nothing?" Reborn shook his head in disbelief.

"We want them to grow organically arcobaleno." Giotto said frostily. "Just because you are used to making them do what you believe is best doesn't mean that you know what truly will do them the most good."

"They're teenagers!" Reborn exploded. "Tsuna isn't a competent leader yet! Yamamoto can't stomach the thought of killing anyone! Gokudera hasn't gotten used to directing the family during battle! And there are still so many people who deny connection to the Vongola! Lambo can't even understand the seriousness of any of the situations he gets placed in!"

He slammed his hands on to the table. "How do you expect this group of kids to be able to do anything on their own!"

Giotto narrowed his eyes. Cozzato growled.

"Arcobaleno, if you would simply have a bit of faith-"

"I've had about enough of you, you brattly litte-"

The Ninth leaned forward, placing a hand on each spirit's shoulder. "Gentlemen, gentlemen, please, do not raise your voices this way!" he soothed.

Looking at Giotto first, he smiled apologetically. "Primo. Please remember that nowadays, what you are suggesting seems not only cruel to the children, but illegal and lazy; quite the opposite of what you mean, and what Reborn had always believed you were like."

"Reborn." he went to next, smile turning sad. "As much as it pains me, you must admit that our generation made its' fair share of mistakes as well. How do we know the correct way to fix these problems if we can't help but make more of them?"

Finishing with Cozzato, the Ninth winked. "Please relax Shimon Primo; Reborn is simply very worried for his new family. Who would have thought he would grow so close to the young ones?"

The other three men were silent. Then Reborn huffed. "I am not _worried _about them." he denied. "I just think you're all letting something happen that could be prevented." Turning on his heel, the hitman quickly walked away, entering the main restaurant and leaving the three of them on the balcony.

Cozzato shook his head. "That one has too much pride."

Giotto just frowned sadly, his bangs hiding his eyes. "That does not change that I feel horrible for him."

Cozzato sighed. "Yeah, well...one way or another, our descendants already have a guide in your heir. Fate will make sure that they don't get a second."

"Unfortunately for the arcobaleno." Giotto whispered, slumping back into his seat. He rubbed his forehead, something Cozzato picked up on instantly. "Another headache?"

Giotto nodded. "They get worse the closer we approach. It's only a decade away. They don't have much time, and so much to do." Cozzato grunted in agreement.

The Ninth looked between the two spirits, and felt horrible for them. Though they were easily three times as old as he was, he couldn't help but look at them as young men who were both desperate to get the weight of the world off their shoulders, and frightened for those that would inherit it.

"They will be ready." He said confidently. "This is the new generation; they'e exceeded expectations so far, haven't they? It may not be the way we expect them to do it, but they'll conquer all that stands in their way. Isn't that why we wanted them to take over for us?"

Giotto nodded slowly. Looking at Cozzato, he smiled slightly. "The joke always has been that they will do it precisely because we would never be able to."

Cozzato barked a laugh in agreement. Giotto continued. "We've done our part, and tipped off the pebble at the top of the mountain. We leave the rest to them."

They sat for another dozen minutes, thinking their own thoughts as dark clouds covered overhead. Finally, Cozzato stood, raising his cup. "An empty toast." He said. "For luck."

Standing as well, the Ninth lifted his own cup. "I personally hope they will never need it." he added.

"No..." Giotto said, catching on. "This isn't for the new generation; it's for the fire that will consume the world." Standing, he completed the triangle. "For it will need much luck if it hopes to contend with the great avalanche that is going to bear down on it."

The three shared an empty chuckle and half hearted smiles. Their cups clinked together as lightning struck ground and water filled the streets.

* * *

><p>Tsuna's eyes swiveled to the entrance of the mall they had just passed through. It had suddenly started raining outside. Odd.<p>

Taking a few more steps, he stopped again as a cold shiver ran up his spine.

_The future is yours._

The thought rocketed around his head for a moment before fleeing, leaving Tsuna disturbed. What had that been about? And why did he suddenly feel so very daunted?

"Boss?"

In front of him, Chrome stood, worry on her face. He smiled. "I'm fine. It's fine." he reassured. She nodded, unconvinced. She was quickly distracted, however, when she saw the store she had been looking for.

"Hot Topic is right over there, Boss." she said, pointing and leading the way. Catching sight of the store, he groaned. He should have known Chrome would take him to a place with more skulls then a cemetery...

But he couldn't help the smile that surfaced soon after. This wasn't how he had imagined spending his evening, but he wouldn't complain. Horrifying thoughts be damned, he would enjoy this rewarding trip out as best he could.

Something told him there would come a day where he wouldn't be able to anymore.

**Okay, so, this is a one shot. However, I will be writing a sequel...eventually. Depending on the success of the two stories, I'll be making it into a series of one-shots. After the second one shot, assuming I do a series of them, the stories will focus on other members of the tenth generation, and their developing bonds.**

**Fans of _Phoenix Fire_: consider this a good luck charm - the next chapter is all finished, and will be posted sometime in the next few days. I want to get farther in chapter 7 before I post 6, so you all can have a nice, large update for your patience.**

**Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.**


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